Effects of Long-Term Winter Planted Green Manure on Physical Properties of Reddish Paddy Soil Under a Double-Rice Cropping System

Abstract Soil physical properties are important indicators of the potential for agricultural production. Our objective was to evaluate the effects of long-term inputs of green manures on physical properties of a reddish paddy soil (Fe-Typic Hapli-Stagnic Anthrosols) under a double cropping system. The common cropping pattern before the study was early-late rice-fallow (winter). The field treatments included rice-rice-fallow (R-R-WF), rice-rice-rape (R-R-RP), rice-rice-Chinese milk vetch (R-R-MV), and rice-rice-ryegrass (R-R-RG). The rape, Chinese milk vetch and ryegrass were all incorporated as green manures 15 d before early rice transplanting during the following year. The soil bulk density in all green manure treatments was significantly reduced compared with the winter fallow treatment. Soil porosity with green manure applications was significantly higher than that under the winter fallow. The green manure treatments had higher 0.25–5 mm water stable aggregates and aggregates stabilities in the plow layer (0–15 cm depth) compared with the fallow treatment. The mean weight diameter (MWD) and normalized mean weight diameter (NMWD) of aggregates in the green manure treatment were larger than that with the winter fallow. Soil given green manure retained both a higher water holding capacity in the plow layer soil, and a larger volume of moisture at all matric potentials (−10, −33 and −100 kPa). We conclude that the management of double-rice fields in southern central China should be encouraged to use green manures along with chemical fertilizers to increase SOC content, improve soil physical properties and soil fertility.